I have exciting news to announce! I’m feeling all ‘growed’ up, teaching my first travel writing workshop this Friday, November 8th, at the Writer’s Junction in Santa Monica. If you live in L.A. and curious about how to break in to travel writing, leave a comment below telling me what your next dream destination is to enter to win two free tickets ($30 value) to the workshop. And the workshop is not all ‘work’, it’s also going to be a lot of fun with a Kendall-Jackson wine and Daphne chocolate pairing.
I’m giving the workshop with my business partner, Lindsay Taub and together we’re the Voyage Vixens, a female centric travel website dedicated to adventure, food, drink and humanitarian causes we believe in.
Also, co-hosting the travel writing workshop is Erin Byrne, a prolific author and founder of Deep Travel Writing Workshops that help to bring authentic travel stories out of you that sell.
Here’s the wine and chocolate highlights:
Kendall-Jackson Avant
The Avant is a new twist on California Chardonnay. Bright, crisp and lean on the tastebuds, K-J Avant, ‘avant’ means before in French, has just a tinge of the typical oak flavors in Chardonnays from California.
With flavors that mirror California’s fog-laden coastline, this wine achieves a balance of vibrancy and complexity through gentle whole-cluster pressing and fermentation in a combination of older oak barrels and stainless steel. The subtle use of neutral oak adds a graceful structure while cool stainless steel fermentation preserves the fresh, intense fruit flavors inherent to Chardonnay grown along the coastline.
Kendall-Jackson Avant continues the winery’s nearly three decades of pioneering award-winning varietal wines from California’s cool coastal appellations like Sonoma County.
Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Merlot
This wine scored a Gold in the 2012 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and primarily sourced from vineyards in Sonoma County. A splash of Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon add backbone and complexity, creating a beautifully structured, food-friendly wine.
Chocolate Pairing: Orange, cranberry, walnut chocolate.
Kendall Jackson Vintner’s Reserve 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintner’s Reserve means wine is made from grapes only found on their vineyard estates. The Vinter’s Reserve Cab Sauv, according to winemaster Randy Ullom, has notes of cedar, vanilla and a hint of mocha finish. Sounds delicious.
Chocolate Pairing: Caramel, coffee chocolate
Sonoma Wine Country
Sonoma tourism is also sponsoring the event. Did you know Sonoma was voted as Tripadvisor’s Traveler’s Choice for Wine Destinations? We tend to agree with Tripadvisor, as it’s truly a gem of an area – chock full of sumptuous wines, boutique hotels and insanely good local restaurants. Here are some of Lanee’s recommends when visiting Sonoma County: Farmhouse Inn Review; Sonoma’s Own Limoncello Maker; Sonoma’s Food Artisans.
Event Info
Friday, November 8th
7:30pm-9:30pm
The Writers Junction
1001 Colorado Ave.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
* $5 off for Junction members! *